THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Mr. Chairman -- Mr.
Chairman, delegates, fellow citizens: I am honored by your support,
and I accept your nomination for President of the United States.
(Applause.)

When I -- when I said those words four years ago, none of us could
have envisioned what these years would bring. In the heart of this
great city, we saw tragedy arrive on a quiet morning. We saw the
bravery of rescuers grow with danger. We learned of passengers on a
doomed plane who died with a courage that frightened their killers.
(Applause.) We have seen a shaken economy rise to its feet. And we
have seen Americans in uniform storming mountain strongholds, and
charging through sandstorms, and liberating millions, with acts of
valor that would make the men of Normandy proud. (Applause.)

Since 2001, Americans have been given hills to climb, and found the
strength to climb them. Now, because we have made the hard journey, we
can see the valley below. Now, because we have faced challenges with
resolve, we have historic goals within our reach, and greatness in our
future. We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America -- and
nothing will hold us back. (Applause.)

In the work we have done, and the work we will do, I am fortunate
to have a superb Vice President. (Applause.) I have counted on Dick
Cheney's calm and steady judgment in difficult days, and I am honored
to have him at my side. (Applause.)

I am grateful to share my walk in life with Laura Bush.
(Applause.) Americans -- Americans have come to see the goodness and
kindness and strength I first saw 26 years ago, and we love our First
Lady. (Applause.)

I'm a fortunate father of two spirited, intelligent, and lovely
young women. (Applause.) I'm blessed with a sister and brothers who
are my closest friends. (Applause.) And I will always be the proud
and grateful son of George and Barbara Bush. (Applause.)

My father served eight years at the side of another great American
-- Ronald Reagan. (Applause.) His spirit of optimism and goodwill and
decency are in this hall, and are in our hearts, and will always define
our party. (Applause.)

Two months from today, voters will make a choice based on the
records we have built, the convictions we hold, and the vision that
guides us forward. A presidential election is a contest for the
future. Tonight I will tell you where I stand, what I believe, and
where I will lead this country in the next four years. (Applause.)

I believe -- I believe every child can learn, and every school must
teach -- so we passed the most important federal education reform in
history. Because we acted, children are making sustained progress in
reading and math, America's schools are getting better, and nothing
will hold us back. (Applause.)

I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America's seniors
-- so I brought Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen
Medicare. Now seniors are getting immediate help buying medicine.
Soon every senior will be able to get prescription drug coverage, and
nothing will hold us back. (Applause.)

I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers,
entrepreneurs, farmers, and ranchers -- so we unleashed that energy
with the largest tax relief in a generation. (Applause.) Because we
acted, our economy is growing again, and creating jobs, and nothing
will hold us back. (Applause.)

I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness
in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not
happen on my watch. (Applause.)

I'm running for President with a clear and positive plan to build a
safer world, and a more hopeful America. I'm running with a
compassionate conservative philosophy: that government should help
people improve their lives, not try to run their lives. (Applause.) I
believe this nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership --
and that is why, with your help, we will win this election.
(Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

The story of America is the story of expanding liberty: an
ever-widening circle, constantly growing to reach further and include
more. Our nation's founding commitment is still our deepest
commitment: In our world, and here at home, we will extend the
frontiers of freedom. (Applause.)

The times in which we live and work are changing dramatically. The
workers of our parents' generation typically had one job, one skill,
one career, often with one company that provided health care and a
pension. And most of those workers were men. Today, workers change
jobs, even careers, many times during their lives, and in one of the
most dramatic shifts our society has seen, two-thirds of all moms also
work outside the home. (Applause.)

This changed world can be a time of great opportunity for all
Americans to earn a better living, support your family, and have a
rewarding career. And government must take your side. Many of our
most fundamental systems -- the tax code, health coverage, pension
plans, worker training -- were created for the world of yesterday, not
tomorrow. We will transform these systems so that all citizens are
equipped, prepared -- and thus truly free -- to make your own choices
and pursue your own dreams. (Applause.)

My plan begins with providing the security and opportunity of a
growing economy. We now compete in a global market that provides new
buyers for our goods, but new competition for our workers. To create
more jobs in America, America must be the best place in the world to do
business. (Applause.) To create jobs, my plan will encourage
investment and expansion by restraining federal spending, reducing
regulation, and making the tax relief permanent. (Applause.) To
create jobs, we will make our country less dependent on foreign sources
of energy. (Applause.) To create jobs, we will expand trade and level
the playing field to sell American goods and services across the
globe. (Applause.) And we must protect small business owners and
workers from the explosion of frivolous lawsuits that threaten jobs
across America. (Applause.)

Another drag on our economy is the current tax code, which is a
complicated mess -- filled with special interest loopholes, saddling
our people with more than six billion hours of paperwork and headache
every year. The American people deserve -- and our economic future
demands -- a simpler, fairer, pro-growth system. (Applause.) In a new
term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the
federal tax code. (Applause.)

Another priority in a new term will be to help workers take
advantage of the expanding economy to find better and higher-paying
jobs. In this time of change, many workers want to go back to school
to learn different or higher-level skills. So we will double the
number of people served by our principal job training program and
increase funding for our community colleges. (Applause.) I know that
with the right skills, American workers can compete with anyone,
anywhere in the world. (Applause.)

In this time of change, opportunity in some communities is more
distant than in others. To stand with workers in poor communities --
and those that have lost manufacturing, textile, and other jobs -- we
will create American opportunity zones. In these areas, we will
provide tax relief and other incentives to attract new business, and
improve housing and job training to bring hope and work throughout all
of America. (Applause.)

As I've traveled the country, I've met many workers and small
business owners who have told me they are worried they cannot afford
health care. More than half of the uninsured are small business
employees and their families. In a new term, we must allow small firms
to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts available to
big companies. (Applause.)

We will offer a tax credit to encourage small businesses and their
employees to set up health savings accounts, and provide direct help
for low-income Americans to purchase them. These accounts give workers
the security of insurance against major illness, the opportunity to
save tax-free for routine health expenses, and the freedom of knowing
you can take your account with you whenever you change jobs.
(Applause.) We will provide low-income Americans with better access to
health care: In a new term, I will ensure every poor county in America
has a community or rural health center. (Applause.)

As I have traveled our country, I have met too many good doctors,
especially OB/GYNS, who are being forced out of practice because of the
high cost of lawsuits. To make health care more affordable and
accessible, we must pass medical liability reform now. (Applause.)
And in all we do to improve health care in America, we will make sure
that health decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

In this time of change, government must take the side of working
families. In a new term, we will change outdated labor laws to offer
comp-time and flex-time. Our laws should never stand in the way of a
more family-friendly workplace. (Applause.)

Another priority for a new term is to build an ownership society,
because ownership brings security, and dignity, and independence.

Thanks to our policies, homeownership in America is at an all-time
high. (Applause.) Tonight we set a new goal: seven million more
affordable homes in the next 10 years so more American families will be
able to open the door and say: Welcome to my home. (Applause.)

In an ownership society, more people will own their health care
plans, and have the confidence of owning a piece of their retirement.
We'll always keep the promise of Social Security for our older
workers. With the huge Baby Boom generation approaching retirement,
many of our children and grandchildren understandably worry whether
Social Security will be there when they need it. We must strengthen
Social Security by allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes
in a personal account -- a nest egg you can call your own, and
government can never take away. (Applause.)

In all these proposals, we seek to provide not just a government
program, but a path -- a path to greater opportunity, more freedom, and
more control over your own life.

And the path begins with our youngest Americans. To build a more
hopeful America, we must help our children reach as far as their vision
and character can take them. Tonight, I remind every parent and every
teacher, I say to every child: No matter what your circumstance, no
matter where you live, your school will be the path to promise of
America. (Applause.)

We are transforming our schools by raising standards and focusing
on results. We are insisting on accountability, empowering parents and
teachers, and making sure that local people are in charge of their
schools. By testing every child, we are identifying those who need
help -- and we are providing a record level of funding to get them that
help. (Applause.) In northeast Georgia, Gainesville Elementary School
is mostly Hispanic and 90 percent poor -- and this year 90 percent of
the students passed state tests in reading and math. (Applause.) The
principal -- the principal expresses the philosophy of his school this
way: "We don't focus on what we can't do at this school; we focus on
what we can do. And we do whatever it takes to get kids across the
finish line." See, this principal is challenging the soft bigotry of
low expectations. (Applause.) And that is the spirit of our education
reform, and the commitment of our country: No dejaremos a ningn nio
atrs. We will leave no child behind. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!

We are making progress -- we are making progress, and there is more
to do.

In this time of change, most new jobs are filled by people with at
least two years of college, yet only about one in four students gets
there. In our high schools, we will fund early intervention programs
to help students at risk. We will place a new focus on math and
science. As we make progress, we will require a rigorous exam before
graduation. By raising performance in our high schools, and expanding
Pell grants for low and middle income families, we will help more
Americans start their career with a college diploma. (Applause.)

America's children must also have a healthy start in life. In a
new term, we will lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor
children who are eligible but not signed up for the government's health
insurance programs. We will not allow a lack of attention, or
information, to stand between these children and the health care they
need. (Applause.)

Anyone who wants more details on my agenda can find them online.
The web address is not very imaginative, but it's easy to remember:
GeorgeWBush.com.

These changing times can be exciting times of expanded
opportunity. And here, you face a choice. My opponent's policies are
dramatically different from ours. Senator Kerry opposed Medicare
reform and health savings accounts. After supporting my education
reforms, he now wants to dilute them. He opposes legal and medical
liability reform. He opposed reducing the marriage penalty, opposed
doubling the child credit, opposed lowering income taxes for all who
pay them.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Wait a minute, wait a minute: To be fair, there
are some things my opponent is for. (Laughter.) He's proposed more
than two trillion dollars in new federal spending so far, and that's a
lot, even for a senator from Massachusetts. (Applause.) And to pay
for that spending, he's running on a platform of increasing taxes --
and that's the kind of promise a politician usually keeps. (Laughter.)

His tax -- his policies of tax and spend -- of expanding government
rather than expanding opportunity -- are the policies of the past. We
are on the path to the future -- and we're not turning back.
(Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: In this world of change, some things do not
change: the values we try to live by, the institutions that give our
lives meaning and purpose. Our society rests on a foundation of
responsibility and character and family commitment.

Because family and work are sources of stability and dignity, I
support welfare reform that strengthens family and requires work.
(Applause.) Because a caring society will value its weakest members,
we must make a place for the unborn child. (Applause.) Because --
because religious charities provide a safety net of mercy and
compassion, our government must never discriminate against them.
(Applause.) Because the union of a man and woman deserves an honored
place in our society, I support the protection of marriage against
activist judges. (Applause.) And I will continue to appoint federal
judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict
interpretation of the law. (Applause.)

My opponent recently announced that he is the conservative -- the
candidate of "conservative values," which must have come as a surprise
to a lot of his supporters. (Laughter.) There's some problems with
this claim. If you say the heart and soul of America is found in
Hollywood, I'm afraid you're not the candidate of conservative values.
(Applause.) If you voted against the bipartisan Defense of Marriage
Act, which President Clinton signed, you are not the candidate of
conservative values. (Applause.) If you gave a speech, as my opponent
did, calling the Reagan presidency eight years of "moral darkness,"
then you may be a lot of things, but the candidate of conservative
values is not one of them. (Applause.)

This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism -- and you know where I stand.
(Applause.) Three days after September the 11th, I stood where
Americans died, in the ruins of the Twin Towers. Workers in hard hats
were shouting to me, "Whatever it takes." A fellow grabbed me by the
arm and he said, "Do not let me down." Since that day, I wake up every
morning thinking about how to better protect our country. I will never
relent in defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

THE PRESIDENT: So we have fought the terrorists across the earth
-- not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens
are at stake. Our strategy is clear. We have tripled funding for
homeland security and trained a half a million first responders,
because we are determined to protect our homeland. We are transforming
our military and reforming and strengthening our intelligence
services. We are staying on the offensive -- striking terrorists
abroad -- so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
And we are working to advance liberty in the broader Middle East,
because freedom will bring a future of hope, and the peace we all
want. And we will prevail. (Applause.)

Our strategy is succeeding.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of
al-Qaeda, Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups, Saudi
Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising, Libya was secretly
pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering threat, and al-Qaeda was
largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. (Applause.) Today, the
government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror, Pakistan is
capturing terrorist leaders, Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests,
Libya is dismantling its weapons programs, the army of a free Iraq is
fighting for freedom, and more than three-quarters of al-Qaeda's key
members and associates have been detained or killed. (Applause.) We
have led, many have joined, and America and the world are safer.
(Applause.)

This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew his
long history of pursuing, even using, weapons of mass destruction. And
we know that September the 11th requires our country to think
differently: We must, and we will, confront threats to America before
it is too late. (Applause.)

In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

AUDIENCE: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

THE PRESIDENT: Members of both political parties, including my
opponent and his running mate, saw the threat, and voted to authorize
the use of force. We went to the United Nations Security Council,
which passed a unanimous resolution demanding the dictator disarm, or
face serious consequences. Leaders in the Middle East urged him to
comply. After more than a decade of diplomacy, we gave Saddam Hussein
another chance, a final chance, to meet his responsibilities to the
civilized world. He again refused, and I faced the kind of decision
that comes only to the Oval Office -- a decision no president would ask
for, but must be prepared to make. Do I forget the lessons of
September the 11th and take the word of a madman, or do I take action
to defend our country? Faced with that choice, I will defend America
every time. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

THE PRESIDENT: Because we acted to defend our country, the
murderous regimes of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban are history, more
than 50 million people have been liberated, and democracy is coming to
the broader Middle East. (Applause.) In Afghanistan, terrorists have
done everything they can to intimidate people -- yet more than 10
million citizens have registered to vote in the October presidential
election -- a resounding endorsement for democracy. (Applause.)
Despite ongoing acts of violence, Iraq now has a strong Prime Minister,
a national council, and national elections are scheduled for January.
Our nation is standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, because
when America gives its word, America must keep its word. (Applause.)

As importantly, we are serving a vital and historic cause that will
make our country safer. Free societies in the Middle East will be
hopeful societies, which no longer feed resentments and breed violence
for export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight terrorists
instead of harboring them, and that helps us keep the peace.
(Applause.) So our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear: We will
help new leaders to train their armies, and move toward elections, and
get on the path of stability and democracy as quickly as possible. And
then our troops will return home with the honor they have earned.
(Applause.)

Our troops know the historic importance of our work. One Army
Specialist wrote home: "We are transforming a once sick society into a
hopeful place. The various terrorist enemies we are facing in Iraq,"
he continued, "are really aiming at you back in the United States.
This is a test of will for our country. We soldiers of yours are doing
great and scoring victories and confronting the evil terrorists."

That young man is right -- our men and women in uniform are doing a
superb job for America. (Applause.) Tonight I want to speak to all of
them, and to their families: You are involved in a struggle of
historic proportion. Because of your service and sacrifice, we are
defeating the terrorists where they live and plan, and you're making
America safer. Because of you, women in Afghanistan are no longer shot
in a sports stadium. Because of you, the people of Iraq no longer fear
being executed and left in mass graves. Because of you, the world is
more just and will be more peaceful. We owe you our thanks, and we owe
you something more. We will give you all the resources, all the tools,
and all the support you need for victory. (Applause.)

Again, my opponent and I have different approaches. I proposed,
and the Congress overwhelmingly passed, $87 billion in funding needed
by our troops doing battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. My opponent and
his running mate voted against this money for bullets, and fuel, and
vehicles, and body armor.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: When asked to explain his vote, the Senator said,
"I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against
it."

AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!

THE PRESIDENT: Then he said he was "proud" of that vote. Then,
when pressed, he said it was a "complicated" matter. There's nothing
complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Our allies also know the historic importance of our
work. About 40 nations stand beside us in Afghanistan, and some 30 in
Iraq. And I deeply appreciate the courage and wise counsel of leaders
like Prime Minister Howard, and President Kwasniewski, and Prime
Minister Berlusconi -- and, of course, Prime Minister Tony Blair.
(Applause.)

Again, my opponent takes a different approach. In the midst of
war, he has called American allies, quote, a "coalition of the coerced
and the bribed." That would be nations like Great Britain, Poland,
Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, El Salvador, Australia, and
others -- allies that deserve the respect of all Americans, not the
scorn of a politician. (Applause.) I respect every soldier, from
every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history.
America is grateful, and America will not forget. (Applause.)

The people we have freed won't forget either. Not long ago, seven
Iraqi men came to see me in the Oval Office. They had X's branded into
their foreheads, and their right hands had been cut off, by Saddam
Hussein's secret police, the sadistic punishment for imaginary crimes.
During our emotional visit one of the Iraqi men used his new prosthetic
hand to slowly write out, in Arabic, a prayer for God to bless
America. (Applause.) I am proud that our country remains the hope of
the oppressed, and the greatest force for good on this earth.
(Applause.)

Others understand the historic importance of our work. The
terrorists know. They know that a vibrant, successful democracy at the
heart of the Middle East will discredit their radical ideology of
hate. (Applause.) They know that men and women with hope and purpose
and dignity do not strap bombs on their bodies and kill the innocent.
(Applause.) The terrorists are fighting freedom with all their cunning
and cruelty because freedom is their greatest fear -- and they should
be afraid, because freedom is on the march. (Applause.)

I believe in the transformational power of liberty: The wisest use
of American strength is to advance freedom. As the citizens of
Afghanistan and Iraq seize the moment, their example will send a
message of hope throughout a vital region. Palestinians will hear the
message that democracy and reform are within their reach, and so is
peace with our good friend, Israel. (Applause.) Young women across
the Middle East will hear the message that their day of equality and
justice is coming. Young men will hear the message that national
progress and dignity are found in liberty, not tyranny and terror.
Reformers, and political prisoners, and exiles will hear the message
that their dream of freedom cannot be denied forever. And as freedom
advances -- heart by heart, and nation by nation -- America will be
more secure and the world more peaceful. (Applause.)

America has done this kind of work before -- and there have always
been doubters. In 1946, 18 months after the fall of Berlin to Allied
forces, a journalist wrote in the New York Times, "Germany is -- a land
in an acute stage of economic, political and moral crisis. [European]
capitals are frightened. In every [military] headquarters, one meets
alarmed officials doing their utmost to deal with the consequences of
the occupation policy that they admit has failed." End quote. Maybe
that same person is still around, writing editorials. (Applause.)
Fortunately, we had a resolute president named Truman, who, with the
American people, persevered, knowing that a new democracy at the center
of Europe would lead to stability and peace. And because that
generation of Americans held firm in the cause of liberty, we live in a
better and safer world today. (Applause.)

The progress we and our friends and allies seek in the broader
Middle East will not come easily, or all at once. Yet Americans, of
all people, should never be surprised by the power of liberty to
transform lives and nations. That power brought settlers on perilous
journeys, inspired colonies to rebellion, ended the sin of slavery, and
set our nation against the tyrannies of the 20th century. We were
honored to aid the rise of democracy in Germany and Japan and Nicaragua
and Central Europe and the Baltics -- and that noble story goes on. I
believe that America is called to lead the cause of freedom in a new
century. I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence
for their liberty. I believe that given the chance, they will embrace
the most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe
all these things because freedom is not America's gift to the world, it
is the almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
(Applause.)

This moment in the life of our country will be remembered.
Generations will know if we kept our faith and kept our word.
Generations will know if we seized this moment, and used it to build a
future of safety and peace. The freedom of many, and the future
security of our nation, now depend on us. And tonight, my fellow
Americans, I ask you to stand with me. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: In the last four years, you and I have come to know
each other. Even when we don't agree, at least you know what I believe
and where I stand. (Applause.) You may have noticed I have a few
flaws, too. People sometimes have to correct my English. (Laughter.)
I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing it.
(Laughter and applause.) Some folks look at me and see a certain
swagger, which in Texas is called "walking." (Applause.) Now and then
I come across as a little too blunt -- and for that we can all thank
the white-haired lady sitting right up there. (Laughter and applause.)

One thing -- one thing I have learned about the presidency is that
whatever shortcomings you have, people are going to notice them --
(laughter) -- and whatever strengths you have, you're going to need
them. (Applause.) These four years have brought moments I could not
foresee and will not forget. I've tried to comfort Americans who lost
the most on September the 11th -- people who showed me a picture or
told me a story, so I would know how much was taken from them. I've
learned first-hand that ordering Americans into battle is the hardest
decision, even when it is right. I have returned the salute of wounded
soldiers, some with a very tough road ahead, who say they were just
doing their job. I've held the children of the fallen, who are told
their dad or mom is a hero, but would rather just have their mom or
dad.

I've met with the wives and husbands who have received a folded
flag, and said a final goodbye to a soldier they loved. I am awed that
so many have used those meetings to say that I'm in their prayers and
to offer encouragement to me. Where does strength like that come
from? How can people so burdened with sorrow also feel such pride? It
is because they know their loved one was last seen doing good. Because
they know that liberty was precious to the one they lost. And in those
military families, I have seen the character of a great nation:
decent, idealistic, and strong. (Applause.)

The world saw that spirit three miles from here, when the people of
this city faced peril together, and lifted a flag over the ruins, and
defied the enemy with their courage. My fellow Americans, for as long
as our country stands, people will look to the resurrection of New York
City and they will say: Here buildings fell, here a nation rose.
(Applause.)

We see America's character in our military, which finds a way or
makes one. We see it in our veterans, who are supporting military
families in their days of worry. We see it in our young people, who
have found heroes once again. We see that character in workers and
entrepreneurs, who are renewing our economy with their effort and
optimism. And all of this has confirmed one belief beyond doubt:
Having come this far, our tested and confident nation can achieve
anything. (Applause.)

To everything we know there is a season -- a time for sadness, a
time for struggle, a time for rebuilding. And now we have reached a
time for hope. This young century will be liberty's century.
(Applause.) By promoting liberty abroad, we will build a safer world.
By encouraging liberty at home, we will build a more hopeful America.
Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to
stand for freedom. This is the everlasting dream of America -- and
tonight, in this place, that dream is

renewed. (Applause.) Now we go forward -- grateful for our
freedom, faithful to our cause, and confident in the future of the
greatest nation on earth.

God bless you, and may God continue to bless our great country.
(Applause.)